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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26596327">Sword of The Dark Crystal</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/undeadstoryteller/pseuds/undeadstoryteller'>undeadstoryteller</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal Series - J.M. Lee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:08:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,576</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26596327</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/undeadstoryteller/pseuds/undeadstoryteller</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Commission/trade with myfanartblogplusshippingtrash on Tumblr! They gave me an outline based on JM Lee's novels that basically asked: What was Rian doing for most of the story? How did he get from points A to B? And, most importantly, how did he find Deet, who only briefly appears as his companion near the end of Flames of the Dark Crystal?</p><p>This is a Stonegrot fic with some mature themes (however, they are not explicit and ultimately I've rated it T+). Some things are AU, but overall this is set firmly in the novel canon, which is different from the series canon, and the characters are slightly different as well. It's been a fun challenge!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Deet/Rian (Dark Crystal)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Intro</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Intro: Stone-in-the-Wood</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Enough, Rian!"</p><p>Rian glared at his mother, arms crossed.</p><p>"I'm just saying."</p><p>"I won't have you talking about your father like that," she said, returning the lid to the pot she was tending. "And I won't have you behaving like this in front of our guests."</p><p>Rian drew back. "'Behaving like'?"</p><p>She wiped her hands on her apron and cupped his face in her hands. "One nice meal, Rian," she said. "Just one nice meal."</p><hr/><p><br/>Shoni spent the meal listening, mostly. She never in a million trine thought that such words would be spoken in her home about the Skeksis, but deep down she had always harbored a deep disdain for them. Mostly it was because they had taken her beloved husband from her to head their Castle Guard, leaving her to manage raising a family nearly on her own. And, because of Ordon's position, Rian was taken at a younger age than other boys. For that, she would never forgive them.</p><p>As the topic turned to sport, she saw Rian began to look a bit less miserable.</p><p>Any tension that had been eased by the conversations snapped back when there was a knock on the door.</p><p>"Go, Rian," she whispered quickly.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>"You can come out now, Rian," Shoni said, pushing the door open. The visit with Maudra Fara had been nervewracking, but she felt she'd been convincing enough.</p><p>Rian was staring at a small vial, glowing blue. The same thing she'd caught him looking at earlier, only this time he didn't put it away.</p><p>She came in and sat beside him.</p><p>"Tell me what that is."</p><p>He sniffed. "It's the essence they took from the guard."</p><p>Shoni nodded. It was a horrible sight, disturbing in its beauty.</p><p>"What was his name?" She asked.</p><p>He paused. "Mira."</p><p>"A woman?" Shoni was unaccustomed to the idea of female soldiers, though she knew tales of the Vapra's woman warriors.</p><p>"Yes," he said, turning the bottle in his hands. He wiped an eye with the back of his hand.</p><p>She looked at it quietly, feeling her son's sadness. His heartbreak. She felt guilty for raising her voice at him earlier.</p><p>"Was she your --"</p><p>"No," he said, shaking his head. He slid the bottle into his pocket. "I never got the chance to tell her how I felt about her. It all happened so fast…"</p><p>"I'm sure she knew." She put her hand on Rian's back.</p><p>He exhaled. "I'll never feel that way about any Gelfling again," he said.</p><p>"Oh," Shoni said softly, "my little one."</p><p>Ordinarily, Rian would have cringed at his mother talking to him as if he was a child, but not this time. He leaned in to her embrace, perhaps the last safe place for him in all of Thra.</p><p>"If I could take your pain and absorb it myself, I would. You'll find that feeling again," she said, rocking him lightly.</p><p>"I won't."</p><p>"Sometimes in our darkest hours, love finds us."</p><p>"Please," he sat up and faced her. "No cliches."</p><p>"It's not a cliche," she said. She paused. "When I was a girl -- a young woman nearing the age of marriage -- I would often dance with a young warrior-apprentice named Tegen. During the war, he would go off to battle, and I would wait for his return." She looked at Rian. "One day he didn't come back."</p><p>Rian blinked, unsure what to say. He had never imagined his mother so much as thinking about a man other than his father. "You never told me," he said.</p><p>"Just don't close your heart," she said. "Gelfling have a great capacity for love."</p><p>He nodded, more out of empathy for her loss than in agreement.</p><p>She reached out and touched his cheek, examining his face as if she were trying to etch it into her brain. She did it every time, never knowing if it would be the last.</p><p>"Oh," she said, finally, "my brave young man."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Sidetracked</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Amri paused and looked around before stepping into the tunnel that lead out to daylight. He thought he was being stealthy, but in reality everyone in Domrak knew of his topside excursions.</p><p>He didn't see Deet peering down from a ledge, but she saw him.</p><p>Part of her wanted to follow him and see the vast sky she'd heard so many stories of, but she had too much work to do. She took a bite of yellow moss and sat back.</p><p><em>Someday</em>.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Rian was starting to regret everything.</p><p>He should have asked Naia and Kylen to come with him to Har'ar. Traveling alone was dangerous, more dangerous than he'd wanted to admit. With no one at his back he felt impossibly small and vulnerable.</p><p>Not to mention the loneliness.</p><p>He kept low in the boat, allowing the current take him. The few animals he saw appeared darkened. Better they didn't notice him.</p><p>"Damn it!"</p><p>Rian's ears perked up at the sound of the Gelfling language, familiar yet with an accent he couldn't quite place.</p><p>He stood in the boat, scanning the river's edge.</p><p>"Who's there?"</p><p>He heard a rustling in the brush and caught a glimpse of silver hair.</p><p>He leaned over the edge of the boat to get a better look. He heard a thud in the boat behind him and turned to see a small round ball with a quickly burning wick.</p><p>"What the --"</p><p>The explosion wasn't enough to damage the boat or cause Rian injury, but the thick blue smoke it set off was disorienting and filled his lungs with a sharp burning sensation. He fell over, toppling the boat and tumbling into the water.</p><p>A young silver-haired Gelfling stepped out of the brush to get a closer look at his work. He smiled as the stranger thrashed about.</p><p>Rian got a foothold in the shallow river and stood, catching his breath as he watched his upside-down boat drift away.</p><p>"Shit."</p><p>He turned to start toward the bank and found himself facing a pale Gelfling with the side of his head shorn and the biggest, darkest eyes he'd ever seen, crunched in a defensive position, holding a dagger in front of his face pointing toward him.</p><p>Rian gestured toward the boat. "Did you just bomb me?"</p><p>The Gelfling flinched and took a step back, still holding his defensive position.</p><p>Rian stepped toward the stranger, hand on his sword.</p><p>"I know you speak Gelfling," he said, moving closer. In a swift motion, he pulled his sword and knocked the dagger to the ground.</p><p>The Gelfling looked at his unscathed hand, then at Rian. "A Stonewood Warrior," he said, a note of awe in his voice.</p><p>"I hope you're happy, it's going to take me forever to get to Har'ar now," Rian said.</p><p>"Oh. I thought you were trying to invade the caves."</p><p>Rian peeled off his soaked cape. "I wasn't."</p><p>The stranger paused. "I could make it up to you. There are shortcuts to just about anywhere in Thra in the caves."</p><p>"No thank you," Rian said. "I'd rather not die lost in a maze of underground tunnels."</p><p>"Suit yourself."</p><p>Rian watched him walk away and shook his head. Now that he had calmed down, it hit him that he'd just encountered an actual Grottan Gelfling in the flesh. He wondered, as he trudged along the bank in the opposite direction, if anyone would believe him -- most of the Stonewood believed the cave clan was extinct or even mythological.</p><p>He might have doubted he was actually Grottan, but for the eyes. No Gelfling he'd ever seen had those eyes. You can't fake that.</p><p>He turned to take one last look, but he was gone. Behind the spot where the Grottan had been was large glowing spider straddling an opening in the rocks he hadn't noticed before.</p><p>Instinctively, Rian pulled his sword.</p><p>"Spitter!" He yelled in warning. It lifted its head briefly, then disappeared into the hole.</p><p>He hesitated. Back home, a Spitter sighting was enough to mobilize bands of warriors. Stone-in-the-Wood had suffered greatly in the Arathim War, with swaths of the village destroyed and rebuilt, only to be destroyed again. But maybe Grot was different. Maybe Spitters were normal there.</p><p>He moved toward the cave opening, listening closely for sounds of distress. After a long pause, he crawled into the tunnel. After all, they were Gelfling, and they might need help, and he had been trained to fight the giant spiders since childhood.</p><p>As the cave opened up, he felt something grab his leg. Grabbing his sword, he spun himself over on the ground to find him face to face, again, with the lone Grottan.</p><p>"Why are you creeping into my cave after rejecting my offer?" he asked, flipping his head to toss his silver mane out of his face.</p><p>"Did you see that spitter?" Rian asked.</p><p>The Grottan stood. "We don't have Spitters," he said. "Is that what they tell you in your--"</p><p>"I saw a spitter," Rian said, re-sheathing his sword and getting to his feet. "You didn't see it? It was huge."</p><p>"You're telling tales."</p><p>"<em>Amri</em>!"</p><p>Both Gelfling turned to see a young female rushing toward them, wings up. She threw her arms around the Grottan.</p><p>"You scared me," she said, embracing him. "I thought for sure that spider had attacked you!"</p><p>"I'm fine, Deet," he said, pulling back to look at her. "Has it been taken care of?"</p><p>Deet nodded. "This is why Maudra Argot says not to go topside, it's too dangerous." She paused as she noticed an unfamiliar Gelfling standing there.</p><p>"Who's your friend?" she asked.</p><p>"He's not a friend," Amri said. "He's a trespasser.'</p><p>"I was trying to help," Rian said. He looked at the girl. "He bombed me for no good reason!"</p><p>"Amri!"</p><p>"He was trespassing!"</p><p>"No clan owns the rivers," Rian said.</p><p>Deet looked at Rian sympathetically, reminding him that he was still wet from falling into the river and dirty from crawling into the caves.</p><p>"I'm Deet," she said. "Can we offer you something to eat? Dry clothes?"</p><p>Both of those things sounded amazing, but he hesitated.</p><p>"I don't think so."</p><p>She blinked up at him. "Why not?"</p><p>"I need to get to Har'ar," he said.</p><p>"Well, you'll never make it if you freeze to death and starve." She smiled.</p><p>Rian looked over at Amri, who shook his head lightly, seeming irritated with Deet's offer. A wave of envy hit him. What did Amri do to deserve a girl like this?</p><p>Deet pulled a small parcel wrapped in soft hide from her pocket. "At least take this seedcake," she said, offering it to him.</p><p>Rian paused and took it. "Thank you," he said.</p><p>She smiled at him with her eyes. When he'd heard stories of Grottan with their eyes like shadowy pools of ink, he'd imagined them to be fearful and threatening. Deet's eyes were warm. It was hard to look away from them. But he did. He was sure he could take Amri in a fight if he noticed him staring too long at his girl, but a fight was the last thing he needed.</p><p>Rian turned and began heading back to the tunnel. Just as he was about to exit, Deet called out.</p><p>"Wait, Stonewood, you never told us your name!"</p><p>He looked back with every intention of giving a false name, just in case the Grottan decided to report him. He saw that Amri was far behind her, heading to the village, out of earshot.</p><p>"It's Rian," he said.</p><p>"Nice to meet you, Rian."</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Rian walked along the riverbank, lost in thought, until the brothers started to dip in the sky. He felt like he could keep walking through the night, but he was getting farther from home with every step, and the fauna and flora was becoming increasingly unfamiliar.</p><p>He was relieved to find bone-dry wood scattered nearby, enough for a fire. He hadn't had more than a few peachberries in the boat when it had overturned, but the small stash had been enough to get him through until morning. It was a relief to have the seedcake from Deet.</p><p>He examined the hide that was used to wrap the cake -- it was thin and incredibly soft. The seedcake appeared to be a mixture of seeds, many unfamiliar to him, bound together with some kind of paste that seemed to be made from nuts. It wasn't like anything he would define as cake, but it was far more substantial.</p><p>He broke off a small piece and popped it in his mouth. It was more savory than he'd expected, and less gritty. Not bad. He rewrapped it after one bite and settled back, looking at the stars.</p><p>After a minute he pulled the seedcake out of his pocket again. Not to eat more if it, just to look at it, this tiny parcel of food that she had touched.</p><p>When his mother had told him to keep his heart open, he doubted she meant for him to overthink the kindness of a girl who was clearly with someone else.</p><p>He shoved the parcel back into his pocket and looked into the flames.</p><p>"Something's wrong with me," he said out loud.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>"I always thought of Stonewood warriors as menacing," Deet mused, watching the glowing blue stream flow through Domrak with Amri. "But he was kind, wasn't he?"</p><p>"Not when he was coming right at me with his sword," Amri said. "I could have been killed."</p><p>Deet looked at him. "I thought you said he knocked the dagger out of your hands without leaving a scratch?"</p><p>"He did," Amri said. "I call that deadly precision."</p><p>Deet shrugged.</p><p>"I just think he seemed very kind," she said.</p><p>Amri rolled his eyes. "That's just because he wanted to get under your dress."</p><p>Deet gasped. "Amri!"</p><p>"Sorry, but someone needs to tell you these things," he said. "And since I'm the closet thing you have to an older brother--"</p><p>"I'm a trine older than you."</p><p>Amri shrugged. "I said closest to." He paused. "If a man is nice to you, he wants a tumble with you."</p><p>Deet huffed. "Well, you're nice to me, is that what you want?"</p><p>Amri drew back. "Thra, no. You're like my sister."</p><p>Deet considered.</p><p>"I think everyone in Domrak must see me as their sister," she said. No one there had ever looked at her the way Rian had.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Rian woke up feeling stiff and cold. His waking brain put everything in context: He was outside, alone, on his way to Har'ar. Gurjin was dead. Mira was still drained. He'd seen his mother for what may have been the last time. His boat had been toppled. And yet, somehow, his heart wasn't full to the brim with despair.</p><p>He sat up. Deet. He'd met a girl named Deet and the world hurt a little less.</p><p>He covered his face with his hands.</p><p>"Fuck."</p><p>After a moment, he got up to his feet. As he scanned the area for signs of edible flora, he saw it upriver.</p><p>Stuck among a clatch of vines was his boat.</p><p>"Finally," he said, making his way toward it. "A bit of good luck."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Reunion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took far longer to free the wooden boat than Rian expected, heightening his regret over deciding to go it alone.</p>
<p>By the time he had it rightside up in the water, he was exhausted. He'd lost too much time to rest on shore. It was only a few minutes after lying back in the boat, trying to remember what it felt like to be dry and comfortable, that he drifted off to sleep.</p>
<p>His dreams ebbed and surged with the rocking of the boat. Images replayed from his memories all around him. Gurjin. Mythra. Mira. Mother. He wanted to grab them. They were all so familiar, yet made him feel so lost.</p>
<p>"Why didn't you stay?"</p>
<p>He turned, and there she was. Lovely Deet. She looked sad.</p>
<p>"I…" He walked toward her, somehow aware that there was an invisible barrier separating them. "I wanted to, but it wasn't my place."</p>
<p>"It is."</p>
<p>He shook his head. "What do you mean?"</p>
<p>"We need you here, Rian," she said.</p>
<p>He bristled at the word "we."</p>
<p>"I'm sorry," he said turning to face the memories.</p>
<p>"Don't turn your back on the future," she said.</p>
<p>"My future," he said, "has nothing to do with Grot."</p>
<p>She looked down.</p>
<p>He moved toward her again, this time with his palm extended in front of him until it hit an invisible barrier, just like he knew it would.</p>
<p>"I can't even touch you in my dreams," he said.</p>
<p>She drew her eyes up at him. "Of course you can," she said. "You're the one who put up a wall." She walked directly through the barrier line until her lips hovered centimeters from his, her hands rested on his chest.</p>
<p>"This isn't real," he said, his heart quickening. "It's just a dream. You're not her."</p>
<p>"If it's a dream, I'm as real as you are."</p>
<p>He touched her cheek.</p>
<p>"What do you want, Rian?"</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Deet opened her eyes. Something wasn't right.</p>
<p>Ever since the spitter had crawled into Domrak before Amri left with his new daylighter companions, she had had visions of more of them, hundreds of them, ascending on the village. They were down to 36 now, including the children. They could never defeat even a small Arathim army.</p>
<p>She slid out of bed and pulled a cross-body satchel out from under it. She checked it for stable foods, skins of water, blankets and tools. After a few moments of hesitation, she slid its strap over her head.</p>
<p>She didn't know where she intended to go. She just knew she had to.</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>As the suns rose, Rian felt energized enough to paddle the boat, hoping to make up time. The river had hardly moved it as he slept.</p>
<p>The dream hadn't faded from his consciousness. He had awoken abruptly before doing anything carnal with dream Deet. A disappointment, but it helped him make a pre-dawn decision: He would go back to Grot after he finished warning the All-Maudra. He would find her and see if there was really something there, or if he'd imagined it.</p>
<p>As for Amri, well, he'd figure it out. Life was too short, he'd learned, to hesitate when it came to matters of the heart.</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Spitters had surrounded the mouth of the cave when Deet tried to leave, sending her into a panic as she flew to the village to warn the others.</p>
<p>She flew toward her father on the ledge of their home, clutching her younger brother to his chest. He looked up at her as his wings unfurled.</p>
<p>"Go, Deet," he shouted, "as fast as you can!"</p>
<p>She flew until there was nowhere to fly to, then ran through the highest tunnel in Grot until a pinpoint of light became blinding, all-encompassing Thra.</p>
<p>It wasn't what she expected. She couldn't see a thing.</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>It was nearly midday when Rian realized he was completely out of food. Deet's seedcake had lasted him a couple of days, but it was time to forage, whether he wanted to or not.</p>
<p>He found a few blossoms, edible, but hardly enough to keep him going. He scanned the bark of the trees, looking for the twisted furrows that indicated it bore nuts. After some searching, to his relief, he found an arron nut tree.</p>
<p>He had just started collecting fallen nut pods when he heard a commotion.</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Deet blinked through the gauzy makeshift blindfold she'd made out of a torn off piece of her underdress. She'd lost her footing and was sent tumbling down an incline. She sat up, a bit dazed, but not seriously injured.</p>
<p>"Topside isn't all it's cracked up to be," she said aloud, pulling herself to her feet and brushing herself off.</p>
<p>She heard a rustling in the brush behind her.</p>
<p>"Who's there?" she called, fearful that she was about to come face to face with a spitter.</p>
<p>A Gelfling figure emerged from the brush.</p>
<p>"Deet?"</p>
<p>She blinked rapidly, trying to see who it was and how he knew her name. His hair alone was too dark to be Amri, or any other Grottan.</p>
<p>"Rian?" she said, as his face came into focus.</p>
<p>She ran to him and embraced him. "Rian!"</p>
<p>He hugged her back, then pulled back, a look of bewilderment on his face.</p>
<p>"How are you here?" he asked, suspicion in his voice. "Is this a trick?"</p>
<p>"A trick?" she asked, confused. "The Arathim attacked Grot. I took the high tunnel." She pointed behind her.</p>
<p>Rian looked over her shoulder. He realized that Amri had been honest when he said the Grottan tunnels had shortcuts.</p>
<p>He looked at her. "What did you give me when we met?" he asked.</p>
<p>She blinked beneath her blindfold. "I gave you a seed cake wrapped in nurlock rump."</p>
<p>He looked her up and down, suspicion fading. "Why the blindfold?"</p>
<p>"I can't see in the sunlight," she said.</p>
<p>He tilted his head. "But you can see wearing a blindfold."</p>
<p>She nodded yes.</p>
<p>He nodded back, then noticed blood on her sleeve.</p>
<p>"You're hurt," he said, touching her arm.</p>
<p>"Oh." She looked down. "It's not bad. Bumps and bruises."</p>
<p>Rian looked back in the direction he came from. "The river is just over there," he said. "You can clean yourself up."</p>
<p>He turned back to her. It was harder to read her expression with her eyes covered, but she looked shaken. Whatever she had seen, he was sure he'd seen things just as trauma-inducing, but he was at a loss, in the moment, as to how to comfort her. He thought of his mother talking of love in the darkness, but it seemed inappropriate.</p>
<p>He just wanted her to be OK.</p>
<p>"We'll set up a camp," he said, leading her through the brush, his fingers gripping her wrist.</p>
<p>"OK," she said, her voice quavering.</p>
<p>Rian stopped. As she began to sob, he embraced her again, this time without doubt.</p>
<p>He didn't need to say anything.</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>The suns were beginning to set. Deet looked over at Rian through her blindfold from her seated position. He had wept with her, cleaned her wounds, and, somehow, had made her smile.</p>
<p>He had not foraged since before they'd found each other, and now was cursing himself under his breath. The blossoms were crushed, and he'd collected fewer nuts than he thought.</p>
<p>"It's fine," Deet said. She opened her satchel and pulled out a sack, similar to what she had given him in Grot, but bigger.</p>
<p>He paused. "I can't take your food," he said, dividing the nuts into two piles.</p>
<p>"You're sharing yours, I'm sharing mine."</p>
<p>She pulled out a dense coral-colored brick and pulled off two pieces, handing one to Rian. It was slightly sticky and smelled sweet.</p>
<p>"What is it?"</p>
<p>"Maranfruit bread," she said. She placed her piece on top of the sack on her lap.</p>
<p>It wasn't anything Rian would call bread -- it was more like dried fruit mashed into a loaf. It tasted mildly sweet and tart, and, like the seedcake, was more substantial than it looked.</p>
<p>"One maranfruit can feed a grown Gelfling for seven days," she said. "But they are only edible for two days unless you dry them out."</p>
<p>He nodded. "It's not bad."</p>
<p>She paused and removed the blindfold. After a few blinks, he came into focus in the waning light as he examined the chunk of bread. He looked so much different from any Gelfling she'd ever seen, with his tawny skin and odd-colored eyes.</p>
<p>He looked at her and smiled as their eyes met for the first time since Grot, the sadness disappearing from his face, if only temporarily. In the moment, she couldn't imagine anything more beautiful.</p>
<p>"What happens now?" she asked.</p>
<p>"Come with me to Har'ar," he said. "You can tell the All Maudra about what happened."</p>
<p>Deet considered. "What would the All Maudra do for us?"</p>
<p>"Help you."</p>
<p>Deet shook her head slowly. "I don't think the All Maudra is going to suddenly start helping Grot, Rian."</p>
<p>Rian paused. "She will when she sees this," he said. He pulled out the vial.</p>
<p>She looked at the glowing blue liquid curiously. "What is it?" she asked. "It looks like the streams deep in Grot."</p>
<p>"It's the essence of a Gelfling," he said.</p>
<p>Deet leaned in for a closer look, then looked at him. "I don't understand."</p>
<p>"The Skeksis took my friend Mira," he said. "They took her to the Crystal. I don't know how it works exactly, but the Crystal drained her. I saw it happen."</p>
<p>Deet blinked. "What happened to her?"</p>
<p>"She died."</p>
<p>"You saw the Skeksis kill your friend?" she asked, her eyes wide, her voice wavering.</p>
<p>He nodded. "I can show you," he said, holding his palm out to her.</p>
<p>She leaned back. "I don't need to see a Gelfling being murdered to believe you."</p>
<p>He closed his hand, relieved. Only his mother had fully believed him without question before now.</p>
<p>Deet had questions. Why was he at the Castle? How did they take Mira? Why would the Crystal of Truth hurt Gelfling?</p>
<p>He told her everything. How he was a member of the Guard, about his father and Gurjin and the podlings. He told her about his last patrol with Mira -- his last patrol ever, it would turn out. He told her about Naia and Kylen and hiding from his own Maudra at his family's home.</p>
<p>She listened intently. There was so much about the topside world she had been unaware of. Maybe they could have seen the Arathim attack coming if they'd known everything that was happening.</p>
<p>"What happened in Domrak, do you think it had anything to do with the Skeksis?" she asked.</p>
<p>"I don't know," he said, honestly. "They want to throw us into turmoil, I know that." He paused. "They want to rule forever. To live forever. They'll destroy every Gelfling to do it."</p>
<p>Deet nodded. "It wouldn't take much for them to destroy all of the Grottan," she said uneasily.</p>
<p>"Or the Stonewood," he said. "Or any single clan." He paused. "But all of us working together?"</p>
<p>"I'm afraid no one topside cares about the Grottan," she said. After a moment of thought, she stood. "I need to go back."</p>
<p>Rian stood up after her. "Deet. You can do more to help them if you go see All Maudra Mayrin."</p>
<p>"I'm more concerned about Maudra Argot," she said. "I'm more concerned about my family."</p>
<p>"They wouldn't want you to put yourself at risk." He picked up the vial from the ground. "Grot isn't safe anymore."</p>
<p>"It seems we're not safe anywhere, Rian."</p>
<p>He didn't answer. She turned to see him standing perfectly still, his eyes open.</p>
<p>"Rian?"</p>
<p>She suddenly felt as if the ground had opened up beneath her, causing her to fall into some kind of oblivion. And then it stopped. She was no longer by the riverbank.</p>
<p>"Deet."</p>
<p>She gasped in relief as she saw that Rian was there too. Wherever it was.</p>
<p>"Is this a dream?" she asked.</p>
<p>"It can't be," he said. "We were just talking on the riverbank."</p>
<p>The mist began to swirl before them, until a stout figure appeared.</p>
<p>Deet looked at Rian. "Is that --"</p>
<p>"Mother Aughra," he said.</p>
<p>"Rian of Stonewood," Aughra said, her voice echoing through the space. "And Deethra of Grot. Found each other, did you?" She looked from one Gelfling to the other. "Don't know what to do now, do you?"</p>
<p>Deet grasped onto Rian's arm anxiously. "How does she know my name?" she whispered.</p>
<p>Mother Aughra could hear Deet's question to Rian, but ignored it.</p>
<p>"Deep within Grot, there is a weapon hidden. Waiting to be wielded by a warrior of Stonewood."</p>
<p>Rian swallowed. "Oh. Uh," he glanced at Deet. "I'm really not a warrior. I was a Castle Guard --"</p>
<p>"Son of Ordon," Aughra said.</p>
<p>"Well, yes," he said.</p>
<p>"Heretic."</p>
<p>"I --" he glanced at Deet again. She was looking at him intently. "I don't accept that it's 'heresy' for the Gelfling to reject Skeksis rule."</p>
<p>Deet smiled at him and nodded in agreement.</p>
<p>"Huh. Those sound like the words of a warrior to Aughra."</p>
<p>She paused. "Deethra."</p>
<p>"I'm a heretic, too," she said quickly.</p>
<p>"Wouldn't be here if you weren't," Aughra said. "You know of this weapon."</p>
<p>Deet thought for a moment and nodded. "I know all of Grot," she said.</p>
<p>"Take him to it. The war between the Gelfling and Skeksis is at hand."</p>
<p>Rian stepped toward Aughra, "but I need to bring Mira's essence to Har'ar," he insisted.</p>
<p>"Too late for that!" Aughra's voice rose. "You must find the weapon to wield against the Skeksis. You must light the fire in Grot. These things won't be done without you and you, and the war will be lost before it's even started!"</p>
<p>"And then," Deet said, "what do we do then?"</p>
<p>"No more questions, Gelfling! You'll know what to do."</p>
<p>"But --"</p>
<p>In a flash, Deet was back by the river, blinking as Rian waved a hand in front of her face.</p>
<p>"Are you OK?" he asked.</p>
<p>She nodded. "Did that really happen?"</p>
<p>"Mother Aughra has the power to control the dream space," he said. "I never thought she would bother using it on me."</p>
<p>"So, you mean, we're going back to Grot? Together?"</p>
<p>He picked up her satchel and handed it to her.</p>
<p>"I don't see how we have a choice."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Aftermath</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rian had lost all track of time. The hill leading up to the mouth of the cave was fairly steep, but his body was unusually exhausted by the time they reached it.</p><p>Deet, several steps ahead, stopped and looked at him.</p><p>"Are you alright?"</p><p>He looked up into the sky and realized it was starting to turn pink.</p><p>"Is it sunrise?" he asked.</p><p>"It's morning," she said, without looking up.</p><p>He blinked. "Aren't you tired?" he asked.</p><p>"Yes," said, ducking into the tunnel. "Come, we can rest soon."</p><p>He followed her in and stood straight. It was jarringly dark.</p><p>"Deet?"</p><p>"Right here."</p><p>He turned toward her voice. It was so dark he didn't even sense that she was next to him. He reached out for her and she took his hand.</p><p>"It's pitch dark in here," he said. "Can you see anything?"</p><p>"I can," she said. "The tunnel is empty. We just have to walk for a bit to the cave."</p><p>He squeezed her hand. "I don't know if I can," he said.</p><p>"I'll lead you."</p><p>He took a deep breath. He wasn't afraid of the dark, not usually. But this dark was different. There was no moonlight, no firebugs. Even the quarters the guards slept in at the Castle weren't this dark.</p><p>"All you have to do is trust me," she said.</p><p>He exhaled. "I trust you," he said.</p><p>He heard her take a step and felt her hands tug on his. He closed his eyes and found that it felt less disorienting and claustrophobic as they made their way through the tunnel. Deet took her job leading him seriously, meticulously warning him of any incline, kicking away any stones in his path as she held his hand in hers behind her back.</p><p>Finally, she stopped. He opened his eyes. There was just enough of a blue glow coming from the caves beyond the tunnel for his eyesight to start adjusting.</p><p>"How are are you with flying?" Deet asked, peering over what he now realized was a high ledge.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>She moved behind him and gripped his arms.</p><p>"Rule one: Don't let go," she said.</p><p>He looked back at her. "What's rule two?"</p><p>"Whatever you do, don't let--" she pulled him in and whirled around before stepping backward off the ledge--"<em>go</em>!"</p><p>There was a moment when Rian thought they were about to die. He had a faint memory of his mother holding him when he was small, flying him to safety, as mother Gelfling do, but he'd never seen a grown man carried in flight. Deet was delicate and smaller than him -- and, he would realize, strong and fearless enough to pull off such a maneuver.</p><p>When they reached the village, or what was left of it, she flapped her wings slowly and lowered him to the ground gently.</p><p>Domrak was in ruin.</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Deet's heart sank as she called out for her family. The damage to the homes was heavy, but fixable. The caves still stood, but the contents were largely destroyed.</p><p>Those were just things. The Gelfling couldn't be replaced.</p><p>As she stood at the door of her family home, stunned, Rian took her hand in silence.</p><p>"What's happened to them, Rian?" she asked.</p><p>"You said there were tunnels leading to all parts of Thra," he said, finally. "They could be hiding, yes?"</p><p>She nodded, lightly.</p><p>"It's good that there are no… bodies," he added.</p><p>She nodded more vigorously.</p><p>"I say we wait. Rest, like you said," he said.</p><p>"I don't know if I can rest." She looked into the interior and walked toward a familiar door.</p><p>Behind it was her room -- the bed she had been dreaming about and a table beside it piled high with odd pieces of rump -- untouched. It was of small comfort, but at least she could give Rian a warm place to rest as she waited for them to return.</p><p>"You rest," she said, motioning toward the bed. "You've got exhaustion."</p><p>He hesitated, but he couldn't muster up the energy to refuse her hospitality.</p><p>"Thank you."</p><p>She gave him a hug that lingered for a few moments, and looked up at him with those eyes.</p><p>He tried to read her expression.</p><p>"Don't forget to take off your boots," she said.</p><hr/><p><br/>Rian opened his eyes. Inches away, Deet stirred lightly and rolled over into her stomach, a light sheet covering the lower part of her bare, winged back. She glistened as a ray of sunlight bathed her.</p><p>He thought for a moment.</p><p>Sunlight?</p><p>The room was dark as he blinked awake, for real this time. He could still see her in his mind, and even though he knew it had been a dream, he wondered if they'd been sexually intimate, and that was why she was unclothed.</p><p>It was a few moments before a man's voice in the next room resonated. He sat up quickly, fearing for Deet's safety, and stumbled out of the bed, making a bit of a commotion.</p><p>"Rian?" The door opened, and Deet stood, looking refreshed. Warm light backlit her. "You're finally up. I was getting worried."</p><p>"How long was I asleep?" he asked.</p><p>"Well, you fell asleep yesterday morning and today it's night."</p><p>He nodded. "Did they return?"</p><p>She nodded. "Yes."</p><p>"That's a relief," he said.</p><p>"My family is OK, as much as they can be," she said. "But some were lost."</p><p>Rian knew how tiny the Domrak population had been.</p><p>"I'm sorry," he said.</p><p>"I told Maudra Argot about you and what Mother Aughra said," she said, sitting beside him on the bed. "She's eager to meet you."</p><p>"Oh?"</p><p>"You'll want to have a cleanse in the pools outside," she said. She reached for a folded bundle of clothing that had been set on the table. "You can change into these while we clean your clothes."</p><p>She paused. "She's not convinced that lighting the fire is best for Grot. No one is, really."</p><p>"After everything?"</p><p>"The Grottan have no love for the Skeksis, but they're not convinced that the Skeksis are killing Gelfling," she said.</p><p>Rian touched her arm. "But you are," he said.</p><p>She nodded. "Yes."</p><p>"What convinced you?"</p><p>She thought for a moment. "I believe you," she said. "I trust you."</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"Should I not?"</p><p>"No, you should." He turned to face her, trying to put his thoughts in order. "If I showed Maudra Argot the draining, do you think she'd change her mind?"</p><p>"Perhaps," Deet said. She paused. "But I'm worried about what sharing that by dreamfast is doing to you."</p><p>Rian looked into her eyes, unsure how to respond. It was a confession of some kind of feelings, to be sure, but he wasn't sure if it was because her empathy and compassion ran deep or something more than that.</p><p>"I wish you weren't with Amri," he said abruptly, before he could stop himself.</p><p>Deet blinked. "What?"</p><p>"I'm sorry," he said, but he wasn't, really.</p><p>"Amri is my friend," she said. "I'm not <em>with</em> him."</p><hr/><p> </p><p>The waters of Grot were different. They were a glowing blue, warm and invigorating. Sleeping in a bed had helped to ease some of Rian's stiffness and pain, but the waters seemed to wash it away.</p><p>The realization that Deet was not, in fact, Amri's partner had been a great, terrifying relief. His belief that she was had been an invisible barrier between them, like in his dream. And now it was gone. If she didn't want him, it was entirely on him.</p><p>As he floated in the blue water, his imagination took over until she was with him in the water, as naked as he was, her body gliding past his, her fingertips gliding across him until she finally embraced him, her lips pressed to his, her legs wrapped his waist.</p><p>He drew in a silent gasp.</p><p>"There you are, Stonewood," a voice said, intruding on his thoughts like a splash of cold water.</p><p>He jolted and sputtered -- mercifully, the water was deep enough not to expose the state he was in. An old woman with wild silver hair stood before him, looking unbothered.</p><p>It couldn't be anyone but Maudra Argot, he thought, yet he heard himself ask "who are you?"</p><p>"It's like looking back in time," the woman said, leaning toward him, her eyes scanning him. "No doubt, you're Ordon's son."</p><p>"You know my father?"</p><p>"I do. Deethra tells me you've seen the Skeksis use the Crystal to drain the life out of Gelfling."</p><p>He nodded. "I have."</p><p>She shook her head. "I told him it would be a mistake. We won't serve them, not like that, I said."</p><p>"Then you must agree to lighting the fire," he said.</p><p>She shook her head. "Oh no, no, no. Lighting the fire means war."</p><p>"I know what it means. The war has already begun. All of our villages are at risk," he pointed at random behind him as if gesturing to the other villages.</p><p>"We vowed not to go to war again."</p><p>"Shit, so did we all."</p><p>The woman raised her chin as she looked at him and almost smiled. "You are every bit Ordon's son," she said. She picked up a cloth and held it out to him. "I am Maudra Argot."</p><hr/><p> </p><p>Deet sat cross legged on the bed, waiting for Rian to return so they could meet with Maudra Argot before fetching the weapon. Most of all, they had to convince the villagers that lighting the fire was right and necessary.</p><p>She looked up as she heard Rian come in, pausing in the kitchen to greet her father. She watched him through the half-open door. He cleaned up well. His skin was highlighted with bluish green above his eyelids, and, to her surprise, the same color was streaked through his dark hair. He had pulled the sides of his hair back and secured it with a clip in the back. Even the Grottan clothing he wore complimented him.</p><p>She smiled as he turned toward her and came in, pushing the door nearly shut behind him.</p><p>"You look nice," she said.</p><p>He looked down at his borrowed clothes. "I can't believe how comfortable this is," he said. He sat down across from her. "I might have to get some made for myself."</p><p>"I'm sure I can arrange that," she said. "Are you ready to go see Maudra Argot?"</p><p>"I have," he said.</p><p>Deet looked confused.</p><p>"You didn't happen to tell her I was bathing, did you?"</p><p>Deet thought. "I don't think so. I told her we would see her after you had a bathe," she said.</p><p>She paused. "She didn't."</p><p>"She just walked right up."</p><p>"Were you dressed?"</p><p>"Of course not!" He laughed. "I was in the water, I don't think she saw anything. Or maybe she did, I don't know. I don't think she cared."</p><p>Deet shook her head at the thought, embarrassed for him.</p><p>"What did she say?" she asked.</p><p>He shrugged. "No."</p><p>"Oh no."</p><p>"They need to see it," he said.</p><p>She sighed. "You may be right."</p><p>He reached over and put his hand on hers, hoping she wouldn't pull away. She placed her other hand on his and squeezed it. It was a relief, after he'd made things awkward earlier by bringing up Amri.</p><p>"What happens after we light the fire?" she asked.</p><p>Rian thought. "The Gelfling will gather to ready for battle."</p><p>"I want to go with you," she said.</p><p>Rian nodded slowly. He hadn't considered that she might not.</p><p>"I want you to come with me."</p><p>She smiled. "OK," she said, as if a weight had been lifted.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Weapon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Deet knelt on the ground outside the tunnel, clicking her tongue at a small, stout worm-like creature. It crawled toward her, then into her hand.</p>
<p>"I have something for you," she said softly, pulling some moss out if her front pocket. It made a high, happy-sounding clicking noise as it nibbled at her gift until it began to glow a bright light blue.</p>
<p>"What is that?" Rian asked, crouching beside her.</p>
<p>She gently placed the creature into a small translucent vessel with a woven cord tied around it.</p>
<p>"This is Tig," she said, holding the vessel to eye level. "She's a glimmermoth larvae." She looked into the vessel. "Tig, this is Rian."</p>
<p>"It's kind of cute," he said.</p>
<p>Deet handed the vessel to him by the strap. "She'll make a good lamp for you in the tunnel."</p>
<p>"Oh," he said, taking it, "thanks."</p>
<p>Deet got to her feet and brushed herself off.</p>
<p>"I think we're ready," she said.</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Once they entered the tunnel, Rian was thankful that Deet had thought to bring Tig. It had a fairly steep dropoff, twists and turns, and, unlike the vacant high tunnel, it was filled with things -- relics of the past, lining carved cave walls.</p>
<p>Hollarbats hung here and there from the ceiling, presumably asleep.</p>
<p>"What time of day is it?" he asked.</p>
<p>Deet looked back at him. "Why do topsiders always want to know what time of day it is?" She asked.</p>
<p>"How many 'topsiders' do you know?"</p>
<p>She turned. "Just one."</p>
<p>"Mm."</p>
<p>She tilted her head. "It's morning."</p>
<p>"Ah," he said, stepping beside her. "Grottan always say it's morning."</p>
<p>She smiled. After a pause, she said, "I don't know if I could ever get used to the sky."</p>
<p>"That's a sentence I honestly never expected to hear," he said.</p>
<p>"It's so bright. And topside smells strange."</p>
<p>Rian shrugged. "Grot smells better than a riverbank, I'll give you that." He paused, as the carvings on the tunnel walls caught his eye.</p>
<p>"What is this?" he asked, approaching the wall, holding up Tig to get a better look.</p>
<p>"Old writing," Deet said.</p>
<p>"Can you read it?"</p>
<p>She shook her head. "No," she said. "It's very old."</p>
<p>He looked at her. "It looks like they had a lot to say."</p>
<p>"There's writing all over the caves, if you know where to look," she said.</p>
<p>He nodded.</p>
<p>"Come, Rian," Deet said, walking ahead. "We can explore another time."</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>The inner cavern was bigger and more full of relics than Rian imagined.</p>
<p>Deet stepped inside first.</p>
<p>"UrLii?" she called. "Are you here?"</p>
<p>"What's 'UrLii'?" Rian asked, following her in, his eyes scanning the room.</p>
<p>"The Mystic who lives here," she said matter-of-factly.</p>
<p>Rian lifted Tig. "You didn't tell me there were going to be Mystics," he said uneasily.</p>
<p>"Just one," she said. She walked across the cavern, looking at the relics.</p>
<p>"So does this weapon belong to this UrLii?"</p>
<p>Deet paused. "I don't think so," she said. "He just keeps them."</p>
<p>"Where is it?"</p>
<p>"I was hoping UrLii would tell us."</p>
<p>Rian lowered Tig. "Deet… there could be a hundred weapons in here."</p>
<p>She nodded. "At least."</p>
<p>"Well, how are we supposed to find the right one?"</p>
<p>She shrugged. "I'll know it when I see it."</p>
<p>He let out a groan.</p>
<p>"Oh, stop it, Rian," she said, tapping her fingers against the wall of the cavern.</p>
<p>He smiled at her familiar, almost maternal tone.</p>
<p>"What are you doing?"</p>
<p>"<em>Sh</em>!"</p>
<p>Rian found a large wooden box, containing Thra knows what, and sat on it. He watched as she tapped and tapped, listening for something within the cavern walls.</p>
<p>"Here," she said, after just a few minutes. She traced her fingers across the wall until she found a seam.</p>
<p>Rian sat up straight, watching as she pressed against it. To his surprise, the wall gave, and she was able to pull part of the wall open.</p>
<p>He hopped off the box. "How did you do that?"</p>
<p>She looked at him. "Old Grottan trick."</p>
<p>Inside the space was a single stone box.</p>
<p>"Open it," she said.</p>
<p>He hesitated. "There could be anything in there."</p>
<p>He leaned in and grasped the edge of the lid, expecting it not to budge. Instead, it lifted off easily, revealing a broad, ornate blade with a curved tip.</p>
<p>"That's quite a weapon," he said.</p>
<p>They stood and looked at it as Tig's light started to dim.</p>
<p>"Are you sure that's it?" he asked.</p>
<p>Deet looked at him. "It's the most sacred weapon in Grot."</p>
<p>He lifted the blade and held it out in front of him. It was nothing like the straight sword he was used to.</p>
<p>"It's heavy," he said. "It feels like it could do some damage." He turned it in his hand. "But what makes it so special?"</p>
<p>"I don't know," Deet said.</p>
<p>As he turned the blade, it caught their reflection. He held it still and watched as she looked up at him. It felt different, actually seeing the two of them together like that.</p>
<p>He set the blade down. Deet pulled some moss from her pocket and fed it to Tig. The room brightened.</p>
<p>Rian looked around. The carvings on the walls of the tomb were even more ornate than the tunnel.</p>
<p>He looked up. The ceiling displayed a carving of the three suns placed in a distinct pattern, one he knew very well.</p>
<p>"Have you noticed this?" he asked.</p>
<p>Deet looked up. "It's a carving of the sky," she said.</p>
<p>"It's more than that." Rian looked at her. "That's the symbol of the Stonewood. We have festivals when the suns align like that… not that it's happened in my lifetime."</p>
<p>Deet looked at him and nodded.</p>
<p>"It has to do with Jarra-Jen," he said.</p>
<p>"What is Jarra-Jen?" she asked.</p>
<p>"An ancient Stonewood Warrior," he said, looking up. "The bravest warrior Thra has ever seen. The kind we could use right about now."</p>
<p>"You're brave," Deet said.</p>
<p>"I don't feel brave."</p>
<p>She touched his arm. "Well. I'm sure Jarra-Jen was scared too."</p>
<p>He smiled. "You don't want to say that in Stone-in-the-Wood," he said. "But thank you."</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>They could hear the song before they left the tunnel leading back to Domrak. They both knew it as a mourning song.</p>
<p>Rian knew that it was for the Grottan lost in the Arathim attack, but he couldn't help thinking of his lost friends. Most of the time, he blocked Naia's words, that Gurjin was gone. He knew she would never lie about her brother's death, but he couldn't accept it. He almost understood why other Gelfling needed to see Mira's death in his memory. Otherwise, maybe the worst wasn't true.</p>
<p>Deet sniffed. He looked at her as she wiped her eyes, feeling shame that he hadn't asked her about the Gelfling the memorial was actually about.</p>
<p>"What were they like?" he asked, taking her hand.</p>
<p>"Chir was a herbalist, even Maudra Argot took his advice.... Ashor was a storyteller who grew up with my father," she said. "He always made me laugh, even when I was sad." She paused. "Iri had the most beautiful wings, and taught me air tricks. She died trying to save Chir."</p>
<p>"I would have liked to have met them," Rian said.</p>
<p>She nodded. "Nothing will be the same here without them." She paused. "I would have liked to have met Gurjin and Mira, too."</p>
<p>Rian smiled. He hadn't mentioned them, but she always seemed in tune with his feelings.</p>
<p>"Nothing can get better until the clans unite," he said, looking at the circle of Grottan gathered around the pyre.</p>
<p>A wave of helplessness hit him. He had somehow become responsible for uniting this almost impossibly isolated clan with the others.</p>
<p>Deet was right. Topsiders didn't care about the Grottan. Who was he, a Stonewood, to ask them to support unification when the only stories of Grot he himself had ever heard were horror stories about the subterranean Gelfling 'invading' their villages?</p>
<p>He looked at Deet. "Why should they listen to me?"</p>
<p>"Because you know the truth, Rian."</p>
<p>"This seems like the worst possible time," he said.</p>
<p>"They're worried about Amri. If they knew what was happening, they'd change their minds."</p>
<p>He sighed as she looked up at him, her eyes conveying her belief in him.</p>
<p>She squeezed his hand and led him to the circle.</p>
<p>"Deethra!" Her father stood and approached them, looking cross. "Where have you been?"</p>
<p>"We've retrieved the blade needed to fight the Skeksis," she said, motioning for Rian to remove it from his back.</p>
<p>"You went to the Tomb of Relics? No one is allowed in while UrLii tends SkekLi"</p>
<p>"There's Skeksis here?" Rian asked, alarmed.</p>
<p>"Imprisoned," Lath'N said.</p>
<p>"Do you know the risk that puts your people in?"</p>
<p>Lath'N drew back. "You may think we're ignorant--"</p>
<p>Rian put his hand up. "No --"</p>
<p>"We have been ignorant, father!" Deet cut in. "The things I've learned in the past few days!"</p>
<p>Rian shook his head lightly. This wasn't the direction he wanted to take.</p>
<p>Lath'N looked at Rian. "My family is grateful that you helped Deet get home --"</p>
<p>"I did no such thing, " Rian said. "Deet has been the one helping me."</p>
<p>"Be that as it may," Lath'N said, "You've found what you came here for, so you can go on your way."</p>
<p>"Not until the fire is lit," Deet said.</p>
<p>Lath'N looked at his daughter, then at Rian. "I don't like this. You're putting ideas in my daughter's head. I don't know your intentions --"</p>
<p>"My intentions are to protect the Gelfling of Thra," Rian said, stepping toward Lath'N.</p>
<p>"Since when do Stonewood care about Grottan?" Lath'N asked.</p>
<p>"I'm not here representing the Stonewood," Rian said. "I've been cast out. I've had to hide from my own Maudra --"</p>
<p>"Then why should we trust you?"</p>
<p>"Because," Deet said, "he's telling the truth."</p>
<p>Lath'N paused. "The Skeksis have divided us. Have caused hardship for us," he said. "But using the Crystal of Truth as a weapon?"</p>
<p>"As a tool to drain us," Rian said. "I lived in the Castle for most of my life. I protected them. Then Gelfling Guards -- my friends -- started to disappear. They're murdering us for our essence."</p>
<p>"Why should we believe you?" Lath'N asked.</p>
<p>"He can show you, father," Deet said. She looked at Rian sadly. "He can show all of you."</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Deet wept when Rian shared the dreamfast, though she wasn't touching him and couldn't see it. The six assembled Grottan included her father and Maudra Argot. It had been agreed that, while every Grottan didn't have to partake in the dreamfast, there needed to be multiple witnesses.</p>
<p>Deet thought six was way too many. Too many thoughts, reactions and souls at once, all reacting to a horrific sight. Rian had been brave about it, though she knew he was nervous -- not just because of the trauma, but because he was afraid it wouldn't convince them.</p>
<p>She wept when Rian cried out, seconds before the Grottan witnessed Mira's brutal death and cried out themselves.</p>
<p>His knees hit the ground, the dreamfast broken, as he covered his face with his hands.</p>
<p>Deet rushed to his side and put her arms around him. He exhaled into her neck and embraced her back, just for a moment, aware that her father was watching.</p>
<p>Only he wasn't. He was embracing another Grottan, telling him, in hushed tones, what he'd just seen.</p>
<p>Rian looked at Deet. "Do you think they'll agree to it?"</p>
<p>Deet nodded, her eyes on the group. "I think so," she said. She looked at him. "But they'll all have to agree, which could take some time "</p>
<p>She helped him to his feet. "In the meantime, you should rest."</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>The dreamfast had taken a toll of Rian. Experiencing the horror of six Gelfling in his mind on top of the trauma if reexperiencing it himself was a lot.</p>
<p>Deet was still teary when they got to her room, where she motioned for him to lie down. Silently, she helped him remove his boots.</p>
<p>"Did you see, Deet?" he asked.</p>
<p>She shook her head no.</p>
<p>"Why are you crying?" He sat up and touched her chin.</p>
<p>She sniffed. "It's just… so much pain."</p>
<p>He hugged her, and to his surprise, she curled herself up in his arms.</p>
<p>"You remind me of my mother," he said.</p>
<p>"Is that a good thing?"</p>
<p>He smiled. "Yes. She always seems to feel what I'm feeling."</p>
<p>"Mm. Mothers and sons have strong bonds."</p>
<p>He nodded. "Yeah."</p>
<p>He laid back, pulling her with him, her head on his chest. He didn't want it to end.</p>
<p>He wanted to light the fire more than anything. He wanted her to go with him to the Gelfling gathering more than anything. But he knew, deep down, that those things meant he could lose her, and he couldn't bear the thought of losing someone else without telling her his feelings.</p>
<p>He stroked her hair.</p>
<p>"Stay with me," he said softly.</p>
<p>She nuzzled the crook of his arm.</p>
<p>He lifted her face so he could see her eyes. "Be with me."</p>
<p>She blinked and her eyelids dropped in thought. "I --"</p>
<p>"I'm not asking you to do anything but just be with me."</p>
<p>She shifted and sat up, facing him. She knew he was hurting and yearning for comfort, but it was more than that. It was in his eyes.</p>
<p>She wasn't sure when it happened, exactly, but she'd already decided she didn't want to be without him. Expressing it with words was harder. She felt love for him. She also loved the nurlock and fresh, dewy moss in the morning.</p>
<p>She stopped trying to find the words and leaned down to kiss him on the lips. He returned it without hesitation, touching her cheek as they paused before a deeper kiss.</p>
<p>She drew back to look at him. He looked as flushed as she felt as his heartbeat raced beneath her fingers.</p>
<p>He sat up and kissed her again, sending a sensation through her body like she'd never felt before.</p>
<p>Suddenly, she pulled back, her ears twitching.</p>
<p>"Father's home," she whispered.</p>
<p>Rian sighed, as if deflating. Her hands slid from his neck to his arms as she sat up straight and looked toward the door, her chest rising and falling as she caught her breath.</p>
<p>"We're not doing anything wrong," he whispered.</p>
<p>"Of course not," she said softly. "But still." She slid from his lap, leaving him feeling instantly cold.</p>
<p>She stood by the edge of the bed, straightening her dress. "I wonder if they made a decision?"</p>
<p>Rian looked up at her. He had honestly forgotten about the fire and the weapon and everything except for her for those fleeting moments.</p>
<p>"I'll find out," she said. "You rest."</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Lath'N stared into nothingness as he sat at the table. Nothingness was better than the images he'd seen in Rian's mind.</p>
<p>His daze was broken by Deet, slipping out of the bedroom quietly. Rian, he knew, was in there. It was where the two of them spent hours and nights since she returned with him and wild new ideas about resistance. He didn't like how inseparable they were and hated imagining what might be happening behind the door.</p>
<p>Ultimately, it wasn't his business. Deet was no longer a child, and he knew eventually she would bond with someone and he would have to accept it. There was just so much with Rian he'd never bargained for.</p>
<p>Still, he was trying to stay on the high road.</p>
<p>"Is Rian OK?" he asked.</p>
<p>Deet nodded. "I think so." She sat across from him.</p>
<p>"It was much worse than I imagined," he said. "The…the laughter... the revelry."</p>
<p>"Has the group decided?" she asked abruptly.</p>
<p>He paused. "Not officially," he said. "But it feels as though we haven't a choice."</p>
<p>She nodded.</p>
<p>Lath'N looked at her sadly and put a hand on hers. They sat like that for some time.</p>
<p>"You will be going with him, won't you?" he asked, finally.</p>
<p>Deet felt her eyes fill with tears as her father's sadness washed over her.</p>
<p>"Yes," she said.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Unified</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was planned to be 6 chapters, but we're not quite at the end yet, so expect one more!</p>
<p>This chapter overlaps with Flames of the Dark Crystal and adds background to a few existing parts in the book.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rian caught his breath as he awoke in the darkened room.</p>
<p>He began to mentally acclimate: He wasn't a Castle Guard anymore. He was in Grot, with Deet. Mira was dead.</p>
<p>Gurjin was… alive?</p>
<p>He sat up, thumping his forehead as if there were a screw loose in there. Gurjin was dead. The Skeksis had killed him. Naia wouldn't lie. And yet he had a strong feeling -- not the wishful thinking he'd awoken with every other morning since Naia had told him that Gurjin was gone. It felt like a memory that she had told him he was alive.</p>
<p>Deet stirred beside him, lying on top of the covers in her nightdress.</p>
<p>He looked at her and wondered, for a moment, if the kisses they had shared the night before had really happened.</p>
<p>He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, trying to get it straight.</p>
<p>"Rian?"</p>
<p>He felt her sit up and run a hand down his arm.</p>
<p>"Are you Ok?"</p>
<p>He blinked and nodded, looking at her. "I'm Ok," he said. "I just had a strange dream."</p>
<p>She pressed her lips against his shoulder, a familiarity that convinced him that they had, in fact, shared moments of intimacy the night before.</p>
<p>"You have nightmares every night," she said. Once she said that, he vaguely recalled her whispering to him and stroking his hair in the night during moments when he was barely awake, jolted from his bad dreams.</p>
<p>"This was different," he said. "I was in the woods with Naia and Kylen and, I think, Amri."</p>
<p>"What were you doing?" she asked, without missing a beat.</p>
<p>"I don't know," he said. "I had to leave. To come back to Grot."</p>
<p>Deet nodded, smiling slightly. "Was I there?"</p>
<p>He shook his head no. "But I was definitely trying to get back here," he said.</p>
<p>Deet pulled herself into a cross-legged position beside him.</p>
<p>"But as I was leaving, Naia called out that Gurjin was alive." He looked at her. "It felt so real. I feel like, especially since Aughra pulled us into the dream space, I don't know what's a dream and what's a memory anymore."</p>
<p>Deet took his hand as he talked. She didn't want to get his hopes up that his friend was alive, but experiencing the dream space had made her question was what real, too -- she had recurring dreams about the Crystal of Truth and a viridescent Stonewood boy who never quite came into focus, who had spoken to her with a curious accent that didn't sound Stonewood at all, if Rian was anything to go by.</p>
<p>Maybe they were visions. Maybe Rian had returned to the dream space to communicate with Naia.</p>
<p>She felt it might have been real, but she was afraid to encourage Rian to believe something that could cause him more pain.</p>
<p>Instead, she leaned over and kissed him.</p>
<p>He kissed her back, letting his attention turn to her fully for just a few moments. He leaned his forehead against hers, wishing they could stay in her bed all day, regretful as his mind began racing with confusion again.</p>
<p>"We need to see if they've decided," he said, finally.</p>
<p>"I know," she said. She kissed him once more and slid off the bed. There was a neatly folded stack of clothing -- his clothing -- on the table.</p>
<p>"I replaced your rough linens with Grottan ones," she said. "I hope you don't mind."</p>
<p>"Not at all," he said, taking them. He hadn't seen his tunic look so clean since it was brand new.</p>
<p>She left him to change in peace. His laundered clothes smelled of Grot. It was comforting. With the Grottan linens worn under them, they were almost as comfortable as the borrowed clothes he had gotten used to.</p>
<p>He had never gotten to experience Domrak before it had been virtually destroyed by the Arathim, but it had begun to feel like home.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Deet finished a twisted plait in her hair and smoothed it with her fingers before brushing the dust from her skirt. She paused, and pulled on the new, thicker tunic her father had given her.</p>
<p>She felt different. Older, maybe.</p>
<p>Rian stepped out of the bed room, back in his old clothing but looking little like the broken warrior Deet had first met in the tunnel.</p>
<p>They faced each other in the crumbling kitchen, silently preparing themselves for what was ahead.</p>
<p>He approached her and took her hand. "We'll be OK," he whispered, and he believed it.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The Grottan were gathered near the entry to the Tomb of Relics, their voices carrying through Domrak.</p>
<p>"Are they still arguing about lighting the fire?" Rian asked.</p>
<p>Deet's ears twitched. She shook her<br/>head and squeezed his hand. "They're arguing over whether we should all leave Domrak."</p>
<p>"They should," he said, then paused as Deet looked at him. "I mean, it's not my place to say, but we need every Gelfling who is able to join the fight."</p>
<p>She nodded, then straightened up as her gaze fixed beyond him.</p>
<p>Rian turned to see Lath'N, wearing a uniform of thick material that starkly contrasted the soft, thin nurlock rump he normally wore. He looked, almost, like a warrior.</p>
<p>Before they could speak with him, Maudra Argot shook her twisted walking stick to silence the group.</p>
<p>"Grottan," she said, her voice echoing through the caverns. "The Gelfling are at war. Thra is at war." She pointed her stick toward Rian. "Our Stonewood friend, Rian, has shown us the truth." She scanned the faces of the clan, turning in a circle as she did. "Grot has never depended on the world above to exist. But the world above depends on us. Our weapons." She glanced at Deet. "Our revolutionaries. The Grottan are the most resilient of all the Gelfling clans. We were driven out. They said we would be wiped out. Extinct!"</p>
<p>Maudra Argot paused. "Now the Skeksis want to wipe out all Gelfling. To consume us. The Grottan know things our cousins in the daylight don't know."</p>
<p>Rian looked at Deet and the others, all of whom were nodding in agreement.</p>
<p>"We have a responsibility to Thra to be part of the unification of the clans," she said. "We must light the beacon."</p>
<p>Without words, the clan began to file into the tunnel leading toward the Tomb of Relics.</p>
<p>Rian didn't ask questions. He hadn't realized the beacon was within the Tomb, but it made sense.</p>
<p>The March to the tomb was somber, punctuated by an occas kiional cry for justice. By the time they arrived to the tomb, the clan was repeating a low, rhythmic chant:</p>
<p>"Vliyaya ru vami! Vliyaya ru vami!"</p>
<p>The Tomb was much darker than Rian remembered. As they circled an object, Rian realized it was the "box" he had sat on while Deet located the weapon. A glowing clump of moss seemed to float on its own, until it began to shrink and Rian realized that Maudra Argot was consuming it. After a moment, she began to glow blue.</p>
<p>Rian turned to Deet to see that she, too, was starting to glow, along with the other Grottan.</p>
<p>He looked down at his own hand, and felt a pang of disappointment that he wasn't glowing, too. Of course he wouldn't, he thought, he wasn't Grottan. But still.</p>
<p>A man dressed in the same warrior-like uniform as Lath'N lit a torch and handed it to Maudra Argot. She held it over her head with both hands, the lowered it and pointed the flame toward Rian.</p>
<p>"You will light the fire, Rian of Stonewood," she said.</p>
<p>Rian was taken aback. The glowing Grottan we all looking at him, most nodding in approval.</p>
<p>"No. Please, you do it, Maudra."</p>
<p>Deet leaned in toward him and gave him a nudge of encouragement.</p>
<p>He stepped forward and took the torch, glancing back at Deet.</p>
<p>He looked at the beacon. It contained no kindling, no fuel. Instead of questioning it, he lowered the flame to the base and stepped back as it lit up in a large blue flame.</p>
<p>Immediately, he could see figures come into view.</p>
<p>"We're not the first," he said, as Deet moved to his side.</p>
<p>A woman's voice cut through the chaos. "Rian!"</p>
<p>"Holy shit," Rian said, his voice rising abruptly, "Naia? Kylen -- Gurjin!"</p>
<p>Deet gasped. A Gelfling with deep green skin and a mane of locs waved and called out to Rian. Next to him, she saw Amri, and quickly turned to whisper to the other Grottan that he was safe.</p>
<p>Rian spoke excitedly with his friends, tears running down his cheeks.</p>
<p>And then they were gone. All of the fires had to be lit for communications to open up, Maudra Argot explained. It was incredible that they had been able to speak through the flames with just five lit.</p>
<p>Rian stood staring into the flame, incredulous. As soon as he turned to Deet, she embraced him.</p>
<p>"He's really alive," Rian said, his voice cracking. "I thought I'd never see him again."</p>
<p>Deet held him, and noticed the Grottan eyes on them, again. This time, they seemed less disapproving.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"We need to make a plan of action," Lath'N said to the group. "When the final fire is lit, we will be ready for whatever comes after."</p>
<p>Rian looked at Deet and squeezed her hand. "We can't wait until the final fire is lit to leave," he said. "Are you ok with that?"</p>
<p>Deet nodded. "I'm ready."</p>
<p>They listened to Lath'N speak, then approached him.</p>
<p>"Father," she said, embracing him. "Rian and I will be leaving for Stone-in-the-Wood."</p>
<p>Lath'N nodded, without protest. "Is that where the clans will gather?"</p>
<p>"You'll receive the details soon," she said.</p>
<p>Rian watched them speak. He was impressed with Deet's relationship with her father, especially in the last days. They were equals, something he had never felt with his own parents.</p>
<p>Lath'N's gaze fell onto Rian as Deet turned to join him.</p>
<p>"Rian," Lath'N said, motioning for him to come over to him.</p>
<p>"Yes sir?"</p>
<p>"Oh," Lath'N said, "we don't do that here." He smiled. "Lath'N, please."</p>
<p>Rian nodded.</p>
<p>Lath'N paused and pulled out a small rump sack from his pocket. "Take this," he said.</p>
<p>Rian took the sack, confused. It felt like it was full of pebbles. As Lath'N nodded to him to look, he opened it and pulled out a strand of colorful polished stone beads threaded together. The beads reminded him of the ones Deet wore sewn to her clothing and braided into her hair.</p>
<p>"I can't accept this," he said, following his clan's etiquette.</p>
<p>Lath'N's brow dropped, his expression clearly offended.</p>
<p>Rian looked over to Deet, who looked curious but kept her distance.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry," Rian said. "I'm still unfamiliar with Grottan customs. Thank you, I accept."</p>
<p>Lath'N expression softened. "I just want to know that Deethra will be protected."</p>
<p>"Deet doesn't need me to protect her."</p>
<p>"Maybe not, but I do," Lath'N said.</p>
<p>Rian nodded, looking at the beads.</p>
<p>"I need someone who cares for her."</p>
<p>Rian looked at him. "Of course."</p>
<p>"Then go."</p>
<hr/>
<p>Maudra Argot led Deet and Rian up through the Sanctuary Tree toward the high cliffs, telling them of her topside quest many trine before.</p>
<p>When they reached the cliff, Argot smiled at them like a proud parent. She leaned in toward Deet and whispered something to her, cupping her face as Rian looked on.</p>
<p>Argot went to the edge of the cliff and looked at Rian. "Can you ride a landstrider?" she asked.</p>
<p>Rian nodded. He had learned to ride from a young age. His father rode a landstrider as Captain of the Guard, and he'd been expected to follow in his footsteps.</p>
<p>As Argot called for a landstrider to come, he shifted nervously. He had ridden domesticated landstriders, never a wild one.</p>
<p>The look of fear on Deet's face when the towering creature approached the edge made him swallow his trepidation.</p>
<p>"You'll like it," he said, mounting the landstrider with as much confidence as he could muster. Once he was steady, he reached out to her.</p>
<p>She looked at Maudra Argot, and then up at Rian. It hit her that this could be the last time she would touch Grottan ground.</p>
<p>She reached out and took his hand, allowing him to help her onto the landstrider's back. The weapon on his back separated them.</p>
<p>"Just a moment," Deet said, carefully pulling the strapped weapon off of him and sliding the strap over her head so it hung on her own back. She put her arms around his waist and rested her head on his back.</p>
<p>"Better?" he asked.</p>
<p>She squeezed him. "Much better."</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>The ride to Stone-in-the-Wood was like nothing Deet had ever experienced. At first, it was nothing but brightness and the feel of the wind and sunlight and Rian. As her eyes adjusted, it was like flying through a strange new world filled with sights she had never seen before -- the sky, the mountains, the endless trees.</p>
<p>And then, up ahead, a plume of smoke. She felt Rian tense up.</p>
<p>"That's Stone-in-the-Wood!" he called back to her. Somehow, she already knew.</p>
<p>He called for the landstrider to go faster, even though it had already been barreling ahead at full speed. The smoke got closer and closer until it surrounded them, and the animal panicked.</p>
<p>Rian tried his best to slow the landstrider down, but it began to buck, sending the two Gelfling through the air.</p>
<p>Rian felt Deet's grasp tighten on him, but it happened too fast for her to get her bearings up enough to unfurl her wings and fly them to the ground. He put his head down, aware that they were about to hit brush, and hoping it wasn't full of nettils.</p>
<p>Thorns tore into him as he hit first, breaking Deet's fall before her grasp came undone and she tumbled over him.</p>
<p>Rian scrambled to get up, tearing his tunic as he looked around anxiously.</p>
<p>"Deet?" he called. "Deet!"</p>
<p>"I'm OK!" She called from the other side of the brush. She popped up, looking disheveled but uninjured.</p>
<p>She gasped. "You're bleeding!"</p>
<p>He looked down at himself. Blood was dripping from his face into his clothing.</p>
<p>"Let me help you out of there," she said, assessing the situation. After a moment, her wings unfurled and she hovered above him holding out her hands to him. He grabbed them and she pulled him up and out, resting him gently on the ground.</p>
<p>She pulled out a piece of rump and began dabbing at his face.</p>
<p>"I don't feel like I'm bleeding," he said.</p>
<p>She paused. "It's not bad. A few scratches." She pulled out a small jar. "This will heal it right up," she said, pulling the cork.</p>
<p>Rian nearly gagged from the smell. "I think I'm fine, thank you," he said.</p>
<p>She shrugged. "Well, if you change your mind."</p>
<p>"Thank you."</p>
<p>He looked through the smoky air toward the village. They were still a bit of a walk away.</p>
<p>"Do you think there's anything left?" he asked.</p>
<p>Deet stood and brushed off her hands on her skirt. She offered him her hand.</p>
<p>"Let's go see," she said.</p>
<p>He nodded, and took her hand. His knee ached as he took a step, but he seemed to have come out of it with bumps and bruises, as Deet would say.</p>
<p>It seemed like it had been a trine since he and Deet had come upon Domrak in ruins. Now, he feared, they were about to see a ruined Stone-in-the-Wood.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Rian was grateful that the ground was wet. He could see the remains of a Gelfling evacuation -- footprints leading away from the village. He stopped, trying to pick out prints that could be his mother's and Mythra's, but it was no use. The knowledge that an evacuation had happened would have to be comfort enough for now.</p>
<p>The House of Maudra Fara smouldered in the village center, the source of the smoke plume. There was little left of it. Rian looked around.</p>
<p>"It's gone," he said.</p>
<p>Before Deet could answer, he bolted away, past the a toppled brew trough and a line of charred huts.</p>
<p>"Rian!"</p>
<p>She followed him until he came to a modest hut, damaged, but still standing. He entered before she could catch up.</p>
<p>"Rian?" She leaned in through the open door to see a cozy kitchen and a long table. Rian stood, his back to her, at the cold hearth.</p>
<p>After a moment he turned, a leaf of parchment in his hand.</p>
<p>Deet approached him and looked at it. In the middle of the parchment, there was a single symbol she'd never seen before.</p>
<p>"What does it mean?"</p>
<p>Rian sniffed. "It's my name."</p>
<p>"Oh?"</p>
<p>"The way my mother does it," he said. "She never learned how to write."</p>
<p>Deet nodded. "Do you think it means she's OK?"</p>
<p>"I don't know," he said. "It means she knew I would come home after she left. She never wanted me to come back to an empty hut. These notes are like… " his voice trailed off.</p>
<p>Deet assessed the room. It was tidy, with no sign of struggle or attack.</p>
<p>"I think it means she's OK," she said.</p>
<p>He nodded, and shoved the parchment into his pocket.</p>
<p>"Let's go make sure the fire is out."</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Rian had mixed feelings seeing Maudra Fara's court in ruins. It was upsetting to see the village center of his childhood destroyed, but his feelings about Maudra Fara were no longer positive.</p>
<p>He threw a bucket of water into the smouldering embers of her throne.</p>
<p>"She knew me her my whole life, since the day I was born," he said. "I looked up to her. I had nothing but respect for her." He looked at Deet, who was tossing dirt on a small fire. "And she cast me out."</p>
<p>Deet thought of Maudra Argot. "I can't imagine," she said.</p>
<p>"Of course not," he said. "Your Maudra has compassion. She doesn't do the bidding if the Skeksis."</p>
<p>Deet paused. "Well, to be fair, you were a Castle Guard."</p>
<p>"Then I woke up," he said.</p>
<p>Deet set down her bucket and placed a hand on his arm.</p>
<p>"Maybe Maudra Fara will wake up too," she said.</p>
<p>He looked at her.</p>
<p>"Maybe she already has."</p>
<p>"She still cast me out," he said. "What am I supposed to do if she comes here and tries to take back what she did?"</p>
<p>Deet shrugged. "Maudra Fara isn't the enemy in this fight," she said. "If she apologizes, accept it."</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Deet was telling Rian all about how to make smoke bombs when they heard them. A small group of Gelfling of different sizes and hues came toward them, calling for Rian.</p>
<p>She sat silently. She had never seen Gelfling like Rian's friends. She recognized the larger, darker male as Gurjin. She assumed that the woman who resembled him was his twin sister Naia. She guessed the skinny boy with long dark hair and umber skin was Kylen, though he was taller than she'd imagined.</p>
<p>For a moment, she didn't recognize Amri, taking up the rear. Their eyes met, two Grottan in a foreign land, as the others greeted each other loudly.</p>
<p>She got up, and in one motion dove in to embrace him.</p>
<p>"What in Thra are you doing here?" he asked. He glanced at Rian and pulled back and looked at her. "Did you have something to do with lighting the fire in Grot?"</p>
<p>"I was there," she said. "But it was really all Rian." She looked down with a self-consciousness he wasn't used to seeing in her.</p>
<p>Amri smiled and shook his head. He looked over his shoulder to see Naia looking at them, a hint of curious jealousy in her eyes.</p>
<p>"I guess we've both found new friends," he said.</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Naia watched Deet through the flames, still not sure what to make of her. Why was she here? Who was she to Amri? Why was she here?</p>
<p>Rian had been more animated than Naia had ever seen him, telling them about his time in Grot and the accident with the landstrider. Deet sat close to him, sometimes looking around at the others, but mostly looking at him.</p>
<p>As the fire burned down and the conversation dwindled, Rian pulled her in closer and whispered in her ear.</p>
<p>Naia watched as they got up, arms linked, and disappeared into the darkness.</p>
<p>She turned to Amri. "I wasn't expecting that," she said. "He almost seems… not miserable."</p>
<p>He nodded, tossing a stick on top of the embers. "Well," he said, looking at her, "It's pretty hard to be miserable when you're with Deet."</p>
<p>Naia shifted uncomfortably. "Were you and her ever --"</p>
<p>"No," he said, cutting her off. "Not at all."</p>
<p>She nodded. "Good."</p>
<p>Amri smiled.</p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>"Rian, you're really hurt," Deet said, as she looked at the bruises and scrapes on his chest and arms. He had just pulled his tunic off as they kissed in his family's hut -- they were all alone and she was perched on his lap and he couldn't have cared less about a few bruises.</p>
<p>"I'm really not," he said.</p>
<p>She leaned back. "Are you sure you didn't break anything?" She touched him in the ribcage area. It was a frustratingly clinical touch. "Does that hurt?"</p>
<p>"No," he said. It was sore, but he'd broken bones before. It was only a bruise.</p>
<p>"I need to put something on it," she said.</p>
<p>"Please don't," he said. He leaned back onto the bed, pulling her with him. The concern on her face faded into a smile. She ran her fingers across his bruised arm up to the scrape on his cheek.</p>
<p>"My brave warrior," she whispered.</p>
<p>"Mm. Battling landstriders and bushes."</p>
<p>Their smiles faded as the reality, that they faced a real battle when the suns shone again, set in.</p>
<p>He hesitated. "It's hard, preparing for a battle you might lose when you love someone," he said.</p>
<p>She nodded sadly.</p>
<p>He touched her cheek. "But --" he tilted his head to meet her eyes -- "we're here right now. Let's not waste it."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. I'll bring the song</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sunrise was just breaking, turning the room a muted orange. </p>
<p>Deet blinked and looked out the small window near the bed. Dawn was a strange sensation for a Grottan experiencing her first morning topside. </p>
<p>Rian shifted beside her, still asleep. She studied his face. He looked peaceful and content, not at all like a warrior on the cusp of battle. She ran her fingers across the small Grottan beads she had braided into his hair, the same ones her father had gifted him in a gesture of acceptance and trust.</p>
<p>She thought of the night before, of Rian asking her to spend it with him, the feel of his skin against hers.</p>
<p>She snuggled up against him under the covers -- probably the stiffest, roughest covers she'd ever felt, but perfect, because they were together under them.</p>
<p>He looked content enough that she considered letting him sleep a bit longer, but she knew he wanted to get up early and be the first to the circle. </p>
<p>She kissed his cheek, which made him stir but not wake. </p>
<p>After a moment, she jostled his arm. "Rian," she said softly.</p>
<p>He opened his eyes and blinked her into focus. After a moment of acclimation, he smiled at her warmly.</p>
<p>He propped himself up on one elbow. "What time is it?"</p>
<p>"It's morning," she said. She ran her fingers across the bruises on his chest and shoulders. "Do you feel sore?"</p>
<p>"I've never felt better," he said, touching her cheek. </p>
<p>She she blinked, looking flushed and achingly beautiful. Rian suddenly fully understood the Stonewood's central eve-of-battle tradition, the one he had never been included in as a Castle Guard in the post-Arathim Wars era, where warriors and partners took part in what they called The Dance. </p>
<p>He didn't feel dread or fear. He felt as if he could do anything. He felt hope.</p>
<p>He watched as Deet sat up, unclothed, and slid out of bed, collecting the garments strewn on the floor. She tossed his clothing at him playfully, then dressed quickly, sitting on the bed as she fastened her tunic.</p>
<p>"Come on, sleepyhead," she teased, "You're the one who wanted to get an early start."</p>
<p>Rian smiled as he looked at her, sitting in the spot where, not that long ago, his mother had sat, stroking his hair, assuring him that he would find love. Surely, she hadn't imagined Deet. He had never imagined anyone like Deet. </p>
<p>"I have something for you," he said abruptly, and got up, in just his linens and half-laced tunic. He left the room and returned before Deet could even ask where he was going. </p>
<p>She blinked as he held out his gift.</p>
<p>"A knife?" </p>
<p>"A dagger," Rian said.</p>
<p>Deet nodded. </p>
<p>"A great dagger," he said. "It was used by my father in the Arathim Wars."</p>
<p>"It belongs to your father?"</p>
<p>"He gave it to me." He looked down at it. "I would have carried it everywhere, but non-issued weapons were forbidden in the Guard."</p>
<p>"It's beautiful," she said.</p>
<p>"I know you'll be aerial, but I think you should have a weapon, too, for when we fight side by side."</p>
<p>She took the dagger by the hilt and lay the blade across her palm. </p>
<p>"I'll carry it close," she said. She paused. "But you know I won't be with you in battle, Rian."</p>
<p>"What?" </p>
<p>"I'm not a warrior like you," she said. "Most of the Gelfling who are on their way aren't. Their power -- our power -- isn't with swords. It's in us, and our connection to Thra."</p>
<p>Rian shook his head. "I don't understand." He remembered what Naia had said about how they were not to kill the Skeksis. Everything about this battle seemed counter to everything he knew about fighting.</p>
<p>"You bring the Weapon," she said. "I'll bring the Song."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Battle against the Skeksis in Stone-in-the-Wood, as it happened in Flames of the Dark Crystal, is finished. [Spoilers:] Rian wielded the weapon, only to have it shatter. The unified Gelfling sang the Song of Thra, creating a power that, along with the Crystal Shard, defeated the Skeksis.</p>
<p>This is the epilogue.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sound of cheers snapped Rian out of his disbelief. </p>
<p>They'd done it. He and Naia and Kylen and the voices of a thousand Gelflings. </p>
<p>Naia embraced him, making a joyful sound like he'd never heard from her. </p>
<p>Gelfling were everywhere, celebrating and reuniting with loved ones.</p>
<p>"Deet?"</p>
<p>He stood still, struggling to make out her hair or her dress, anything.</p>
<p>"Deet?"</p>
<p>He looked up in the air, hoping she had taken to the sky when he felt an embrace from behind, too forceful to be her.</p>
<p>"We did it, brother!" </p>
<p>It was Gurjin. Rian turned and embraced him, happy that he was safe. He didn't know if he could take losing him again.</p>
<p>"You fought bravely," Rian said, facing him.</p>
<p>"Me?" Gurjin laughed, "I've never seen anything like what you did."</p>
<p>"Me waving a broken sword like a --"</p>
<p>"You standing your ground. It made all the rest possible," Gurjin said.</p>
<p>"All I know is it happened so fast," Rian said. He paused and looked around. "Have you seen Deet since they retreated?"</p>
<p>"I haven't," Gurjin said. "But I saw her during the battle, leading hundreds of Gelfling in the air. I even saw a male. With wings."</p>
<p>Rian made a mental note to ask him if they could dreamfast that sight. He had been too overwhelmed to absorb what was happening in the moment when the Gelfling united for the song of Thra.</p>
<p>"Oh," Rian said. "That likely would have been Deet's father." He was glad to know that Lath'N had come.</p>
<p>"Quite a sight, those Grottan are," said Gurjin.</p>
<p>Rian nodded, and felt a familiar hand on his arm. He turned.</p>
<p>"Oh, it is you!" Shoni gasped.</p>
<p>"Mother? What are --"</p>
<p>She embraced him tearfully. "I've gone to hug three different Stonewoods hoping they were you," she said with a laugh. </p>
<p>Rian pulled back to look at her, bewildered. "Where are Mythra and Timtri?"</p>
<p>"Being watched over," Shoni said, cupping his face with her hands. "I heard your speech through the flames. Words can't express how proud I am of you. I decided I would join the others and stand with you, my brave son."</p>
<p>Rian was speechless. His mother had held traditional Stonewood beliefs about women and war.</p>
<p>"I've never seen so many Gelfling at once," Shoni said. "Even Grottan! The song was led by a Grottan woman."</p>
<p>"Deet," Rian said. "Do you know where she is?"</p>
<p>Shoni nodded. "I last saw her aiding the injured."</p>
<p>"Of course," he said. "Can you take me to her?"</p>
<p>She pointed over his should before leading him toward a makeshift triage.</p>
<p>Deet was there, kneeling before a young woman holding her shoulder, a wing torn. </p>
<p>Rian approached her, making sure not to interrupt a situation that was too serious.</p>
<p>The woman with the torn wing looked past Deet, recognizing him instantly.</p>
<p>"It's Rian!" she exclaimed, causing the other Gelfling in the area to turn and look. </p>
<p>Deet turned too, her face scraped, but her eyes bright. Without a word, she stood and approached him, embracing him so hard that her feet left the ground.</p>
<p>Shoni watched them, noticing that they hugged for a sustained amount of time.</p>
<p>When they kissed, she blinked in surprise.</p>
<p>Rian turned to Shoni. "Deet," he said, "this is my mother."</p>
<p>Deet's eyes widened. "Shoni? You're Rian's mother?"</p>
<p>Shoni nodded, searching for words. "And you're --" she looked at Rian. "Is she your --"</p>
<p>"Yes," he said, nodding. "You were right, mother. In my darkest hour," he looked at Deet, "she found me."</p>
<p>Shoni covered her mouth with her fingers. Before everything that had led to this battle, she may have disapproved of the thought of her son bonding with one who was not Stonewood. She would have wondered if a Grottan could be good enough for Rian. But things had changed. She had rarely seen a Gelfling with the strength and compassion of Deet.</p>
<p>She blinked back tears. "It's wonderful to properly meet you," she said, giving her a long hug.</p>
<p>Rian looked on, barely able to believe the moment.</p>
<p>Gurjin was looking on, too. He elbowed Rian. </p>
<p>"And when were you going to tell me?" he asked.</p>
<p>Rian shrugged. "You knew."</p>
<p>Gurjin laughed. "Yeah," he said. "I knew." He looked at him. "There's still work to do, you know."</p>
<p>Rian nodded. "We still have to take the shard to the Castle and heal the Crystal."</p>
<p>"You and Deet?"</p>
<p>Rian turned to Gurjin. "I can't imagine returning to the Castle without you, brother."</p>
<p>"The three of us, then? Together?"</p>
<p>Rian nodded. "Together."</p>
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